Overcasting attachments



June 28, 1955 .4, H. RU SE L 2,711,705

OVERCASTING ATTACHMENTS Filed April 21. 1951 INVENTOR v oz! 57 BY I OVERCASTIN G ATTACHMENTS Herbert H. Russell, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The Greist Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn., v a corporation of Connecticut Application April 21, 1951, Serial No. 222,185

8 Claims. (Cl. 112160) This invention relates to a sewing machine attachment and more particularly to an attachment for overcasting or casting a thread over the edge of a piece of material. The invention relates particularly to an attachment of this character which is adapted to be applied to the ordinary household sewing machine in place of the usual presser foot.

In the process of overcasting, a thread is caught or sewed at one side of the piece of material and then drawn over the edge of the material to be caught upon the other side so as to effect a binding over the edge of the cloth. The hereindescribed attachment for effecting this result consists of a frame having a lever pivoted thereto, which lever is provided with a cloth-holding foot. Means are provided on the frame for oscillating this lever about its pivot by the motion of the usual fork arm which is actuated by the reciprocation of the needle bar.

The cloth-holding foot is provided with a guide member which holds the edge of the cloth in a vertical position as it is fed through the machine, and as this guide is secured to the oscillating lever, this vertical edge of the cloth is moved by the oscillation of the lever from one side of the needle to the other side. Therefore, the needle stitches alternately on each side of this upturned or vertically disposed edge of the cloth so that a stitch is made first on one side of the edge and then upon the other, the thread being carried over the edge between the two stitches, and carried alternately from one side of the edge to the other side.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device for effecting overcasting stitches.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for effecting overcast stitching, which attachment may be readily applied to the ordinary household sewing machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine attachment of the character described which will be relatively simple in construction and capable of use by the operator of a sewing machine whether or not the operator is endowed with particular skill.

To these and other ends the invention consists of the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an attachment for overcasting embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view from the opposite side thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cloth-holding foot;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged front elevational view of the cloth-holding foot showing the operation thereof; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective diagrammatic views showing the stitching effected by the attachment.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention I have shown a sewing machine attachment comprising a nited States Patent 6 generally U-shaped frame having a base member 10 and substantially parallel upstanding sides 11 and 12. The bottom 10 of this frame member is provided with a transversely elongated opening 13 adjacent its central portion, and an open ended longitudinally elongated slot 14 disposed at its forward portion.

Rotatably mounted between the side members 11 and 12 is a shaft 15 to which is secured a cam member 17 having a continuous wavy or sinuous groove or cam track 18. The shaft extends through the side member 12, and secured to the extended end thereof is a ratchet 19 designed to be engaged by a pawl 20 pivoted at 21 to the usual fork arm 22, which fork arm is oscillatably mounted on the extended end of the shaft 15. A spring 23 urges the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel. As illustrated, friction between the parts is sufficient to prevent rearward movement of the ratchet wheel upon a downward stroke of the fork arm, but if desired, a holding detent may be provided to prevent such movement. The fork arm is provided with the usual bifurcated portion 24 to engage a screw or stud on the needle bar so that the arm will be oscillated by the reciprocation of the needle bar, thus rotating the cam 17 in a step-by-step movement.

Mounted below the base 10 of the frame member is an adjusting plate 26. This plate is provided with an elongated slot 27 through which extends the body of a rivet 28 secured to the base member 10. At the forward end of the adjusting plate a rivet 29 passes through the slot 14 and is secured to the adjusting plate, this rivet having an enlarged head 30 which bears against the base or plate 10 at the edges of the slot 14. Likewise, the rivet 28 has an enlarged head 31 which bears against the adjusting plate 26 at the edges of the slot. With this arrangement it will be apparent that the adjusting plate is slidably mounted with respect to the base plate 10 to be adjusted between the position shown in full lines and that shown in dotted lines on Fig. 5.

A lever 32 is rockably or pivotally secured between the base plate 10 of the frame and the adjusting plate 26, and to this end the lever 32 is provided with a slot 33 in which the rivet 29 is slidably received. It will be understood that the lever 32 pivots on the rivet 29 and adjustment of the adjusting plate 26 will vary the position of this rivet so as to vary the position of the pivot and thereby vary the throw of the lever. This lever is provided adjacent its rear end with a pin 34 which extends upwardly through the opening 13 in the base plate 10 and is engaged in the cam track 18 so that upon rotation of the cam 17, the lever 32 will be rocked or oscillated in a horizontal plane about the rivet 29 as a pivot.

The adjusting plate 26 is also provided with upstanding flanges 36 and 37. As shown in Fig. 2, the flange 37 is provided with an elongated opening 38 through which extends a thumb screw 39, theraded into the side member 11 in order to secure the adjusting plate in any desired position in order to effect the desired throw of the lever, and the end of the plate 26 may be turned upwardly as shown at 40 to provide a finger piece by which it may be moved.

The forward end of the lever 32 is displaced downwardly, as shown at 41, to provide a bifurcated clothholding foot comprising the members 42 and 43 having' between them a relatively wide slot 44 to receive the needle shown in dotted lines at 45. As the portion 42 of the foot is the one which engages the cloth during the operation of the device, the lower surface of this member may be roughened, as shown at 46, Fig. 4, so that the cloth will be carried from side to side upon oscillation of the lever 32. V

Removably secured to the upper surface of the portion 43 of the foot member is a cloth guide which includes abase portion 47 provided with an open-ended slot 48 which receives the body portions of pins 49 secured to the member 43. A finger piece 50 is provided on the guide and it will be apparent that by pulling forward upon this finger piece the guide may be removed from the foot and one of a different size or character substituted therefor, the guides being held in place by friction between the member 43 and the heads of the pins 49.

As shown more especially in Figs. 6 and 7, the base portion 47 of the cloth guide extends laterally beyond the member 43 into the needle slot 44, and is there provided with an upstanding side portion or flange 51. A portion f this fiange is bent over at 52 and extended downwardly at 53 so as to provide between the portions 5'1 and 53 a vertically disposed channel 54 open at its lower end but closed at its upper end by the portion 52. The guide member is also provided with a slot 55 between the upstanding member 51 and the body portion 4'7 to permit downward movement of the needle through this slot when the lever 32 is moved to the left, as shown in Fig. 7.

In the operation of the device the cloth 56 is disposed below the foot portion 42, as shown in Fig. 7, with its edge turned vertically upward, as shown at 57, to lie within the slot 54 so that as the cloth is fed through the machine, the edge 57 will be held in a vertical position.

Upon the reciprocation of the needle bar, the cam member 17 will be rotated in a step-by-step movement and the lever 32 will be oscillated about the pivot 29, thus moving the cloth-holding foot laterally at each upward stroke of the fork arm 22, and making a stitch at each downward movement of the fork arm. As the lever is moved from side to side, the needle 45 will descend first upon one side of the edge 57 of the cloth and then upon the other side thereof, thus elfecting alternate stitches upon opposite sides of the edge of the cloth, and bringing the thread over the upstanding edge thereof. The stitch which results from the operation of the machine is shown diagrammatically in Figs. 8 and 9. For example, when the needle descend-s at the left-hand side of the upturned edge 57 of the cloth, the stitch 58 will result, this stitch being carried through the cloth and caught by the bobbin thread 59. Upon the ascent of the needle, the stitch 60 will result, and at the same time the cloth will be moved to the left so that upon the next descent of the needle, the thread will be carried downwardly, as shown at 61, on the opposite side of the upturned edge 57 where at the lower end of the stroke of the needle bar, it will again be caught by the bobbin thread 59. The next ascent of the needle will carry the thread upwardly, as shown at 62, and upon the accompanying movement of the lever 32 to the right, the thread will again be carried over the top of the cloth and downwardly on the other side, as shown at 63.

As previously stated, the cloth guide 47 is removably secured in place and may be replaced by another in which the channel 54 may be deeper or shallower in a vertical direction as desired in order to determine the width of the vertically turned portion 57 of the material. In other words, the top 52 of the U-shaped portion of the cloth guide, which comprises the members 51, 52 and 53, will be at a greater or lesser distance from the base of the foot portion 42 depending upon which guide is used.

It may be noted that the portion 53 of the cloth guide is of less length than the upstanding member 51, and stands forwardly of the needle, the guide being formed of relatively thin sheet metal so that it may be bent into the form shown.

It will be apparent from the above that I have provided an overcasting attachment of simple construction, and one which may be easily manipulated by the operator of a sewing machine, and that it may be readily adjusted for overcasting stitches of different widths at the option of the operator. The usual adapter 64 is secured to the frame members 11 and 12 so that the attachment may be secured to the presser bar of the machine.

While I have shown and described some preferred bodiments of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a cloth-holding foot attached to the frame for lateral movement relatively thereto and having a lower surface engaging the cloth, a cloth guide carried by said foot at one side of said surface and having means to hold the edge of a piece of material in a vertical plane and means to move said foot laterally to move the cloth and said edge laterally from one side of the needle path to the other during movements of the cloth-holding foot.

2. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a cloth-holding foot attached to the frame for lateral movement relatively thereto and having a lower surface engaging the cloth, a cloth guide carried by said foot, means to oscillate said foot, said guide having a substantially vertically disposed portion against which the edge of a piece of material is supported in a substantially vertical plane and over which the thread is carried as the foot is moved laterally, said foot having a needle slot therein, and said vertically disposed portion lying between the edges of the slot.

3. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, means for securing the frame to a presser bar of the sewing machine, a cloth-holding foot attached to the frame for lateral movement relatively thereto and a cloth guide carried by said foot, said guide having a portion secured to the foot and a substantially vertically disposed portion against which an edge of the material is supported, said portion extending both forwardly and rearwardly of the needle, means providing a needle opening on each side of said vertically disposed portion, and a fork arm pivoted on the frame and connected to said foot to oscillate the latter and thereby move the cloth laterally.

4. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a cloth-holding foot attached to the frame for lateral movement relatively thereto and a cloth guide carried by said foot, means for moving said foot laterall, said guide having a vertically disposed portion over which the thread is carried upon lateral movements of the foot, said vertically disposed portion of the foot being pushed to stand against an upturned edge portion of the cloth engaged by the foot and hold said foot in a substantially vertical plane.

5. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a cloth-holding foot attached to the frame for lateral movement relatively thereto and a cloth guide carried by said movable foot, means to move said foot laterally, said guide having a vertically disposed portion over which the thread is carried upon lateral movements of the foot, said foot provided with a slot therein for passage of the sewing machine needle therethrough, and said vertically disposed portion standing intermediate the edges of said slot.

6. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a cloth-holding foot secured to the frame for to and fro movement transverse to the line of sewing, means on said foot to hold the edge of a piece of cloth in a substantially vertical position, said foot having a needle slot therein, and said means comprising a substantially vertically disposed member located between the lateral edges of said slot and means to effect transverse movements of said foot, said means comprising a fork arm pivoted on the frame and connected to the foot to move it laterally.

7. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a lever pivoted to the frame for movement in a direction substantially transverse to the line of sewing, a cloth holding foot carried by the lever provided with a needle slot, means to oscillate said lever, and a substantially vertically disposed relatively thin member disposed intermediate the edges of the slot and extending lengthwise thereof to hold the edge of the cloth in an upstanding position.

8. A sewing machine attachment comprising a frame, a cloth-holding foot attached to the frame for lateral movement relatively thereto, said foot having a lower disposed portion spaced from the first to lie upon the other side of the edge of said material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 708,824 Moore Sept. 9, 1902 1,067,419 Fefel July 15, 1913 1,367,388 Hayes Feb. 1, 1921 2,069,652 Hinman et al. Feb. 2, 1937 10 2,374,721 Bacon et al. May 1, 1945 

